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How to compress a PDF to 1 MB or 2 MB

Job portals, visa forms and email systems often reject a PDF over a fixed size. You can set that size as a target, and the compressor picks the lightest level that fits.

Compress to a target size, step by step

  1. Open the PDF compressor and choose your file (up to 100 MB).
  2. Open More options and choose a target size: 500 KB, 1 MB, 2 MB or 5 MB. For another limit, choose Custom and enter a size of at least 20 KB.
  3. Choose Compress PDF. FreePDFScanner picks the lightest level that fits the target, so you keep as much quality as the limit allows. This recompresses the pictures inside the PDF and leaves the text alone.
  4. Check the result before you download it. The result says either that your target was reached, or that it could not be reached without unacceptable quality loss and shows the smallest good result.

What size is realistic for your file

The amount a PDF can shrink depends on what is inside it. A scan or a PDF full of photos can often be reduced a great deal. A PDF that is mostly text is already small and will not shrink much, so a 1 MB target for a text-only file may simply not be reachable.

If the target cannot be reached without unacceptable quality loss, the tool tells you and gives you the smallest good result instead of an unreadable file. If the saving would be too small to be worth it, it keeps your original rather than hand you a file that is barely smaller. In that case, see the options below.

If it will not fit

  • Remove pages you do not need to submit before compressing.
  • For a scan, go back to the original photos, crop away the table or background, and re-scan with Black & White for text pages. High-contrast pages compress far better than colour photos of them.
  • Choose Try stronger compression, which is offered after a result that is weak or misses the target on files of 200 KB or more. It redraws every page as a lower-resolution picture, which makes the file much smaller but means the text can no longer be selected or searched. Use it only if you must.
  • Check the portal's real limit. Some sites accept less than they advertise, so aim a little under the stated size.

Keep the original

Your original file is never changed. You download the compressed copy separately, and compression happens in your browser. Keep the original for your records and send the compressed copy.

Free, no account, and your file stays in your browser.

Compress a PDF now

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